3 Doors Down Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Like many heavy guitar bands who surfaced at the tail-end of the '90s, 3 Doors Down have reverted to comfortable old habits in their advanced years, shedding some of the post-grunge trappings of their hit album in favor of a slightly more conventional sound, one where classic rock mixes it up with '80s metal. Not that the boys have gotten fun on their eponymous 2008 album. Some of the cavernous murk has lifted, some of the sonics have straightened out, replaced by something that's heavier yet still leaden -- as typified by the opening "Train," which lurches with the intention of turning into a Southern-fried Skynyrd rocker but never quite does -- but the group is inherently indisposed to having a laugh. Naturally, a group this earnest does sing about matters of life and death, as on "Citizen/Soldier," a salute to America's National Guardsmen, that wound up being used in a National Guard recruitment ad in the year prior to the release of 3 Doors Down, but there's heartfelt searching, like when singer Brad Arnold complains that "It's Not My Time," or the many times he decides he just has to be himself, thereby exhorting his fans to do the same. All this moodiness is set to guitars that surge, not really riding any riffs but rather pushing his pleas forward on Walls of Sound so compressed and cleansed they wind up sounding like mush. And that's the ultimate irony of 3 Doors Down as they mature: try as they may to pour out their angst-ridden hearts, by riding out their success and smoothing out their music they've turned into mildly aggro background music at malls and movie theaters across the nation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The stronger songwriting on 3 Doors Down's multi-platinum sophomore effort, Away from the Sun, was encouraging, especially after the rote post-grunge of their 2000 breakthrough, "Kryptonite." But the hit single "When I'm Gone" resonated in particular with American military personnel and their families, who identified with lyrics like "Hold me when I'm here" and "Love me when I'm gone" as deployment to Iraq became imminent in spring 2003. That populism guides Seventeen Days, the Mississippi band's third full-length album. Its liner notes connect to a cross-section of U.S. culture, thanking NFL quarterbacks and major league ballplayers alongside Tim McGraw, Metallica, Dale Earnhart Jr., and "our troops everywhere." And Away from the Sun's Southern rock flourishes have been broadened to create an album that's purely American, built from meaty power chords and everyman lyrics that search for redemption in plain-faced terms. It's no surprise that Bob Seger, heartland crier from another era, guests on "Landing in London." It's not the weary traveler's anthem Seger's "Turn the Page" is -- "London"'s keening strings can't replace the pain and longing of Alto Reed's saxophone wail. But 3 Doors Down try their best, and Seger's rough tenor riding shotgun makes the song more memorable. "When I'm Gone"'s template repeats throughout "Seventeen Days." Lead single "Let Me Go" has the usual quieter verses building to a strong chorus, with easily identifiable lyrics like "You love me/But you don't know who I am." "Be Somebody" and "Real Life" use similar pieces, aligning thick distortion choruses next to brooding verses and lyrics about finding one's own road. The harder-charging guitars of "Never Will I Break" and "Right Where I Belong" reference Alice in Chains' legacy, "Father's Son" is a morality tale in more quiet/loud dynamics, and "My World" amplifies Southern rock capably. 3 Doors Down have hit on a formula that works very well for them. It's a great framework for Brad Arnold's earnest lyrics, and the heavy bass and rousing guitar melodies ensure plenty of radio play. It's not unique, and the songs tend to run together. But they're heartfelt, and easily fill the average American's rock & roll quota. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'Away from the Sun'
Release Date 11/12/2002
Tracks 12
Label Universal
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What The Critics Say
In 2000, 3 Doors Down's debut The Better Life and its omnipresent single "Kryptonite" authoritatively established the Escatawpa, MS band as rock stars in the vein of fellow new arena rockers Creed. After extensive touring and over 6 million albums sold, it might have been difficult for the band to focus on their sophomore release. But vocalist Brad Arnold, guitarists Matt Roberts and Chris Henderson, bassist Todd Harrell, and new drummer Daniel Adair (who took over to free Arnold from behind the kit) retreated to a rented house in sleepy Escatawpa to jam on ideas and lyrics that had been formulated over long months on tour. What sophomore slump? Away from the Sun, released in November of 2002, immediately went Gold, and reached Platinum in early January 2003. It's a much more accomplished album than The Better Life, smoothing out most of the rough patches that slowed down the debut. Lead single "When I'm Gone" is a muscular blues-rocker that recalls Kenny Wayne Shepherd -- it's representative of the album's predominantly mid-tempo arrangements that focus on Arnold's contemplative lyrics. He doesn't proselytize like Creed's Scott Stapp, nor does he rely on obvious nu-metal clichés like Saliva's Joey Scott. Instead, Arnold's lyrics lean more towards the first-person confessional style favored by Southern rock mainstays such as the Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd. While Universal/Republic might lump them in with the chest-thumpers and active rock doomsayers, Away from the Sun makes it clear that 3 Doors Down are really more comfortable where the sky is always blue. That said, the band doesn't yet have the hooks to remain consistently interesting for an entire album. Besides the unstoppable melody of the title track, and "Ticket To Heaven," which shows some real songwriting depth in comparison to the band's debut, many of Away From The Sun's 11 tracks sound too similar. It's an accomplished, often rocking, and sometimes genuinely emotional set, but there just isn't enough variety to sustain it. On the plus side, 3 Doors Down and producer Rick Parashar (Pearl Jam, Blind Melon) didn't go overboard on the effects, as can often be the case with sophomore releases. Instead, a string section drifts in and out of a few tracks, with the ballad "Here Without You" benefiting particularly nicely. There's a good chance Away from the Sun is the transition record 3 Doors Down needed to make, in order to separate themselves from the glut of sound-alikes and establish their future as a viable, album-oriented Southern rock act. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
'The Better Life'
Release Date 2/8/2000
Tracks 11
Label Uptown/Universal
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What The Critics Say
The Better Life, 3 Doors Down's debut album, positions them somewhere between radio-ready post-grunge and more aggressive alternative metal. The best songs are memorable exercises in that style, and even though the songwriting is uneven, that's often to be expected from a first record; there is at least an indication of potential here. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
